The invention relates, on the one hand, to a process for damping torsional vibrations in which two subassemblies are rotatable relative to one another and interact with one another via at least one essentially tangentially effective elastic element, so that the length of the elastic element is changed in dependence on a relative angle between the two rotational subassemblies. On the other hand, the invention relates to a process for damping torsional vibrations in which two subassemblies are rotatable relative to one another and interact with one another via at least one elastic element so that the elastic element is compressed in dependence on a relative angle between the two rotational subassemblies. Furthermore, the invention relates a process for damping torsional vibrations in which two subassemblies are rotatable relative to one another and coupled to one another by at least one coupling element, which opposes a relative movement of both subassemblies. Also, the invention relates to a respective torsional vibration damper.
This type of process and such a torsional vibration damper are known, for example, from EP 0 777 059 A2. This publication discloses a torsional vibration damper comprised of a rotating drive disk, and a coaxial driven disk, which rotates in a same direction, with means for elastic force transmission. In order to simply and cost effectively design such a torsional vibration damper and to facilitate the neutralization of vibration in all load ranges of a drive, including the idle range, the drive disk should partly overlap the driven disk and have radial slots which are spaced about the inner circumference of the overlapping part and have ends which are slightly wedge-shaped. The cross-section of the drive disk has a polygonal outer surface area. Pairs of wedge-shaped thrust pistons are arranged in the slots and forced apart by at least one compression spring, whereby the thrust pistons are flat or slightly curved on their sides opposing the outer surface area of the drive disk. When the two rotational subassemblies are rotated at a relative angle, the compression spring, as an elastic element, is extended in length in dependence on the relative angle between the two rotational subassemblies. Thus, the coupling configuration of thrust pistons and compression spring opposes a relative movement of the two rotational subassemblies.